Yes Charles I have an M6. I have had it quite awhile. It's still loaded with some HP5. Yes Leica once had the world by the tail. The type 240 is the latest M body. There is a nice waiting list to get one.
Originally Posted by Franglais
I'm talking about the Leica M series. Back in film days it used to be THE tool for getting into human life. Small, quiet, but with the best lenses on the market, it was as precise as a surgeon's blade - and pretty delicate to use as well. No automatic anything, and only spotmetering (when there was a meter at all).
Everybody who was serious about street photography had one. Didn't you have an M6? I still have my M4P.
Nowadays - well an APS-C DSLR is little bigger than a Leica and it's much easier to use and zoom lenses are so much more practical then primes. I still see film Leica M's on the streets of Paris but I have only ever seen two digital Leica M's and they were being used by a couple. I don't think they sell in any great numbers.
So if Sony comes out with something that looks like a Leica M, is priced like a Leica M and works like a Leica M (manual focus lenses) - it's quite unexpected.
I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..